Two By Four
by klutzysunshine
Summary: The transition from two kids to four after Brennan gives birth to twins isn't an easy one.


**I don't own Bones and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

Stepping through the door with their newborns felt like a relief to Booth and Brennan, constantly annoyed by the business of the hospital. Booth grinned when Angela, Parker, and Christine greeted them within seconds of their arrival. "How was the car ride home?" Angela questioned.

"Quiet but I doubt that will last long." Brennan yawned but held her arms open when Christine barreled towards her. "Hello, Christine. Have you been behaving well?"

Christine nodded. "Yes. Can I hold a baby again, please?" She had begged her parents for a sibling for a while and hadn't expected two (neither had any of them but they weren't complaining – yet, anyway).

Booth set down the carriers. "In a little bit, when the girls are awake. You don't want them to start crying, do you?" He chuckled when she shook her head.

Angela turned her attention back to her best friend. "And how are you feeling?" She was worried about her after the scheduled C-section – one of the twins had been breech and refused to turn.

"I'm feeling better now and am happy I can relax at home with my family." She headed to the couch and sighed upon sitting down.

"I can't believe I have three sisters." Parker would have loved a brother but he didn't mind this all that much (mostly because he was trying to convince his mom to have another one, something she had previously refused in the past and was now warming up to).

"Get used to it, bud." Booth ruffled his son's hair and then squatted down when one of the babies started to cry. "What's the matter, Chloe, huh? I know, this is a big day for you and your sister." Unlike her older sister (by a minute), Addison awoke with a coo. He grinned at the newborns. "Welcome home, Chloe Eliza and Addison Melinda Booth. We'll make so many happy memories here."

Brennan held her arms out. "I think she's hungry so hand her over, please."

Booth unstrapped her and handed Chloe over to her mother. When Addison started to whine, he also unstrapped her and picked her up which led to the baby quieting down immediately. "I think Addie just wanted some attention, isn't that right? You already figured that out, didn't you? Good for you, baby girl."

Angela looked down at Christine. "You like this big sister thing so far?"

The little girl shrugged. "It's okay," she answered honestly.

Brennan looked up from feeding Chloe to watch Booth interact with Addison. "She might like the swing, Booth."

"I'll put her in it when I'm done holding the baby." Booth didn't want to let go of Addison at all, still in disbelief he had four kids now. When they found out about her second pregnancy, it came after the year from hell and he was still reeling from everything that occurred. Fortunately, his family was helping him cope, even on days he felt so guilty about Sweets' death he could barely stand it.

Brennan noticed her husband was about to get lost in his own head again and refused to let that happen, especially today. "You ready to deal with three girls?" she teased.

The joke had the desired effect and he cracked a smile. "I might not be able to handle the stress," he joked back, grateful that she understood where his mind was going.

And then all hell broke loose when Chloe and Addison started wailing at the same time. The Booth twins' first day home had just erupted in chaos.

* * *

Two weeks passed and life hadn't gotten any easier for the Brennan-Booth family – the twins kept them up all night and it was taking a toll on them. Parker groaned when Chloe scrunched up her face – now red – and started crying again. "I can't wait to go back to England," the teenager muttered.

Booth would have scolded his son but he didn't blame him for wanting to get the fuck out of dodge right now. He and Brennan thought they knew what they were in for when the ultrasound revealed two babies were on the way but they had been wholly unprepared for this. "Remind me to yell at you for that later when I'm not dealing with two fussy babies."

Brennan swooped in and scooped Chloe out of her bouncy seat. "Mama's here. Shhhhh." When the baby continued to emit little sobs, Brennan set her down in one of the swings and turned it on. She quieted down within seconds. "That damn swing has saved us more times than I can count already."

Christine entered the kitchen with her hands over her ears and glared at them. "Make them stop," she pleaded.

Booth bit his lip and snorted. "We're trying, but they're babies and the crying is how they tell us they're upset."

Brennan leaned down and lightly slammed her head on the table when crying erupted from the bassinet again, this time courtesy of Addison. "We can't ever catch a break."

"I got her." Parker stood up, finished eating his piece of toast, washed his hands, and then headed over to see his younger sister. As soon as Addison was in his arms, she stopped and stared up at him. "I see how it is, Addie. Glad you figured this out so soon," he quipped.

"Just put her in the other swing," Brennan requested.

Parker walked over to the swings and gently set her down in the empty one. She was content to just sit there and not rock back and forth like Chloe, something which was already starting to show the difference in the twins' personalities.

* * *

Parker left to return to England the next weekend, and Booth and Brennan were left alone to care for their three daughters – at least the teenager had been able to provide some help and support when they needed it. Max offered to move in with them but they declined, saying they needed to figure out how to deal with this on their own.

Brennan's first day alone with the twins when Booth went back to work proved to be a disaster. She was up what seemed like every five minutes because Chloe and/or Addison needed something from her and demanded their mother's attention. She tried dancing phalanges but neither of them seemed amused by it. "Just please sleep for Mama. An hour is all I need," she tearfully pleaded. She knew she was acting irrationally but she was just so tired she couldn't deal with it anymore.

Hours later, Booth walked into the house to find his wife crying on the couch, Christine playing with her toys, and the twins sleeping in their bassinets. "Hey, what's wrong, Bones?"

"Nothing," she tried but he didn't fall for it – not that she expected him to in the first place.

"Temperance," he warned.

"I just had a bad day. It's hard doing this alone and I'm exhausted."

He sat down and embraced his wife. "I'm sorry. Maybe we should take your dad up on his offer? You need a break. Or we can call Angela and Hodgins in for a night and they can watch all three girls for us. Get us out for the night and enjoy ourselves."

"We can do that."

Booth lifted her chin up and kissed his wife. "I love you."

"I love you too, Booth."

While Brennan slept, he called Hodgins and Angela and they agreed to come over the next night to give them a break.

Booth and Brennan couldn't wait to start sleeping through the night again and both agreed they were done having kids. Four were enough for them but they loved Parker, Christine, Chloe, and Addison with everything they had. They were lucky and knew it.


End file.
